1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic module assemblies and their method of manufacture. More particularly, the present invention is directed to providing an electronic module having an external housing for protecting components located within the module housing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior electronic module assemblies are known in which a polyimide flex circuit undergoes Planar assembly in which a plurality of components are mounted on conductive circuit patterns on a polyimide film. A plurality of rigidizers plates are provided under various portions of the flex circuit film, and after component assembly the rigidizer plates are oriented so they are non-coplanar. Then the rigidizer plates are mounted to an external protective housing for the module. This prior art module assembly and method requires the additional manufacturing step of mounting the rigidizer plates to the external protective housing. This mounting step may degrade the thermal conduction between the rigidizer plate and the external housing wherein this thermal conduction may be relied upon for providing heat sinking for the components in the assembly which are mounted on the flex circuit film. Also, the providing of the external housing typically represents a significant cost of the module.